Chapter 4 — Vows in the Dark

Elena

The cathedral loomed before me like a stone sentinel, its spires piercing a gray, cloud-choked sky. Rain threatened, a storm gathering on the horizon with ominous intent. It would arrive suddenly, without mercy, the way fate had descended upon me. My hands tightened around the sapphire pendant at my neck, the sharp edges of the filigree digging into my palm. It was the only tangible connection I had left to myself, a fragile talisman against the weight of what was to come.